OBJECTIVE: Batik is one of the Indonesian traditional arts made by decorating fabric using the resist dyeing technique. Currently, batik manufacturing serves as an important source of livelihood in Indonesia. However, the production process of traditional batik involves a range of chemicals and some repetitive physical movements, making batik production inseparable from physical and chemical hazards which increase the risk of developing occupational skin diseases (OSD). This study aimed to identify the risk factors related to OSD, including occupational contact dermatitis (OCD), among traditional batik manufacturing workers in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that working duration (≥ 8 h daily) and type of work (wet process only) were statistically significant as risk factors for developing OSD. While for OCD, our results found that gender (male), history of atopy, and type of work (all and wet phase only) were risk factors for OCD development among traditional batik manufacturing workers.

OBJECTIVE: Low back pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent condition that poses significant patient burden. This cross-sectional study identified factors associated with LBP occurrence and developed a strategy to identify, prevent, and reduce LBP-related burden on patient health. A web-based questionnaire-answering system was used to assess the potential effects of LBP on mental health, assessing five domains (physical features, demographics, lifestyle, diet, and mental status) conceptually associated with hie, a common disease state traditionally described in the Japanese culture as a chilly sensation. RESULTS: Of 1000 women, 354 had and 646 did not have LBP. The Chi test identified 21 factors, and subsequent multivariate logistic regression indicated eight factors significantly associated with LBP: age, history of physician consultation regarding anemia, history of analgesic agents, dietary limitations, nocturia, sauna use, hie, and fatigue. Furthermore, women with LBP exhibited a significantly lower body temperature (BT) in the axilla/on the forehead than women without LBP. LBP and hie are subjective and potentially affected by patient mental status. Stress reduces blood circulation, causing hypothermia and possibly worsening LBP. Therefore, mental-health support is important for patients with LBP to reduce physiological stress. Hyperthermia therapy, a traditionally prescribed intervention, is a potential intervention for future studies.

OBJECTIVE: After liver transplant (LT), many investigations are needed to evaluate abnormal liver function test (LFT), which has poor specificity for graft function and complication. A single center retrospective audit of all adult single organ LT from 1/1/2015 to 31/12/2017 was performed. Demographic, clinical and investigation data from the LT database and electronic medical records and cost data from the hospital's Business Intelligence Unit were analyzed. Patients were classified into uncomplicated or complicated LFT by 2 independent investigators and the number, type, and cost of investigations in the first 30 post-operative days were analyzed. Investigations prior to liver biopsy was sub-analyzed. RESULTS: There was 170 LT with 87 cases of uncomplicated LFT (51.2%) and 83 cases of complicated LFT (48.8%). Most patients with complicated LFT had additional investigations (97.6%), most commonly cholangiogram (55.4%) and liver biopsy (LBx) (50.6%). The additional investigations cost was $1863.3 (95% CI 1289.0-2437.6). Although most LBx (73.8%) showed evidence of rejection, LBx was often not the initial investigation of choice. Current LFT based post-transplant monitoring is inefficient. It remains difficult to determine which patient will benefit from an early invasive procedure like LBx, using LFT alone without further imaging investigations.

OBJECTIVE: Lack of reliable and valid scales of Indian origin prompt researchers to borrow the marital satisfaction scale developed in different settings. The lack of a reliable scale to understand marital satisfaction in India prompted us to examine the marital satisfaction among young married men using ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS) Scale developed in the Western context. Assessing the reliability of the EMS scale on the rural population of Lalitpur and Shrawasti, Uttar Pradesh, India; this study examines the determinants of marital satisfaction among young married men. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.936 confirms the high reliability of the EMS scale for the surveyed population in two districts of India. Men belonging to households with higher monthly income (OR- 3.33; 95% C.I. - 1.71-6.50) were more likely to be satisfied in their marriage than their counterparts. Similarly, fathers', mothers', and married men's educational status were other important determinants of marital satisfaction. The study emphasizes the importance of family education as a strong predictor of marital satisfaction, and therefore policymakers may look into this aspect.

OBJECTIVE: Smoking is an important risk factor of coronary artery stenosis after angioplasty. Therefore, this investigation aimed to determine the effectiveness of a motivational text-messaging program for smoking cessation after coronary angioplasty. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 100 patients after angioplasty. The patients were divided randomly into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group received 32 text messages about smoking cessation for 2 months. The control group received only routine training. The primary and secondary outcomes were success and self-efficacy in quitting smoking cigarettes, respectively. Both groups filled out the related questionnaires before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and Chi-square tests, independent t-test, and paired t-test. P < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Success in quitting cigarette smoking was significantly higher in the intervention group (n = 29, 61.7%) compared to the control group (n = 2, 4.3%) (p < 0.001). Moreover, after the intervention, the mean score of self-efficacy in the intervention group (11.01 ± 44.75) was significantly higher than the control group (6.51 ± 3.11) and also higher than before the intervention (5.51 ± 2.44) (P˂0.001). The motivational text-messaging program can improve self-efficacy and success in smoking cessation in patients after coronary angioplasty.

OBJECTIVE: Mannheimia haemolytica is the primary bacterial pathogen associated with bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC). While M. haemolytica has been subdivided into 12 capsular serotypes (ST), ST1, ST2 and ST6 are commonly isolated from cattle. More recently, M. haemolytica strains isolated from North American cattle have been classified into genotypes 1 (ST2) and 2 (ST1 and ST6). Of the two genotypes, genotype 1 strains are frequently isolated from healthy animals whereas, genotype 2 strains are predominantly isolated from BRDC animals. However, isolation of both genotypes from pneumonic lung samples can complicate diagnosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to differentiate M. haemolytica genotypes. RESULTS: The genotype specificity of the LAMP was tested using purified genomic DNA from 22 M. haemolytica strains (10 genotype 1, 12 genotype 2) and strains from four related Pasteurellaceae species; Bibersteinia trehalosi, Mannheimia glucosida, Pasteurella multocida, and Histophilus somni. Genotype 1 (adhesin pseudogene B1) specific-LAMP reactions amplified DNA only from genotype 1 strains while genotype 2 (adhesin G) reactions amplified DNA only from genotype 2 strains. The overall detection sensitivity and specificity of the newly developed colorimetric LAMP assay for each genotype were 100%. The limits of detection of two LAMP assays were 1-100 target gene copies per reaction. LAMP primers designed in this study may help the differential identification of M. haemolytica genotypes 1 and 2.

OBJECTIVE: A small electrocardiograph and Holter electrocardiograph can record an electrocardiogram for 24 h or more. We examined whether gender could be verified from such an electrocardiogram and, if possible, how accurate it would be. RESULTS: Ten dimensional statistics were extracted from the heart rate data of more than 420,000 people, and gender identification was performed by various major identification methods. Lasso, linear regression, SVM, random forest, logistic regression, k-means, Elastic Net were compared, for Age < 50 and Age ≥ 50. The best Accuracy was 0.681927 for Random Forest for Age < 50. There are no consistent difference between Age < 50 and Age ≥ 50. Although the discrimination results based on these statistics are statistically significant, it was confirmed that they are not accurate enough to determine the gender of an individual.

OBJECTIVE: We report our experience with a validated waist-worn activity monitor in Jamaican adolescents attending urban high schools. Seventy-nine adolescents from the Global Diet and Activity Research (GDAR) study, recruited from 5 urban Jamaican high schools (two coeducational (n = 37), two all-female schools (n = 32) and one all-boys school (n = 10)) were asked to wear Actigraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers for 7 days (24-h), removing the device only when bathing or swimming. They also logged wake up and bed times in an activity diary. Accelerometry was considered valid if at least 4 days with ≥ 10-h monitor wear were recorded. Validity was compared by adolescent demographic and school characteristics. We also reviewed the students' written feedback on objective physical activity measurement. RESULTS: Participants, 80.5% female, had a mean age of 15.5 ± 0.8 years with 60% attending schools in low-income communities. Accelerometer return rates were > 98% with 84% providing valid data. Validity did not vary by age group, sex and school setting. While participants were excited about participating in the accelerometer sub-study, commonly reported challenges included monitor discomfort during sleep and maintaining the study diary. Objective measurement of physical activity using 24-h waist-worn accelerometers is feasible and acceptable in Jamaican adolescents.